My very first comment does not deal with my job. I have heard an answer to a question that has perplexed me for years. However, it's not the answer I wanted to hear. In fact, the more I hear, the worse it becomes.
For years I have wondered why my wife and I had 4 sons and no daughters. After the first boy, we thought for sure we would have a girl. We were so sure that we would often have a girl's name already picked out only to end up having to provide the nurse with a boy's name after the birth of another boy. While our boys have grown into fine respectable men, a daughter along the way would have been nice.
Well, Dr. Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionay psychologist at the London School of Economics had finally answered my question. In a paper published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, 4/21/06, and in an interview with the Birmingham Post, Birmingham, England, 8/1/06, the good doctor claims its because we're ugly! He says, 'Physical attractiveness is good for men and women, but it is much better for women than for men. So, physically attractive parents bias their offspring sex ratio to have more daughters.' Dr. Kanazawa claims that the discovery supports the evolutionary theory that parents tend to produce children who benefit from their own attributes. Selection pressure means that when parents have traits they can pass on that are better for boys than for girls, they are likely to have boys. On the other hand parents with heritable traits that are more advantageous to girls are more likely to have daughters. Dr. Kanazawa told the Sunday Times of London, 'Beautiful parents have more daughters than ugly parents because physical attractiveness is heritable and because daughters benefit from attractiveness more than sons.'
I mean come on! Look at the photos of Mrs. Rea and me. I know I maybe s0-s0 (I wear the shades to compensate) but my wife is gorgeous! And, our boys have all turned out to be good-looking studs.
But, it gets worse. In his article in the Journal of Theoretical Biology entitled, 'Violent Men Have More Sons', Dr. Kanazawa claims, 'One heritable trait which increases the reproductive success of sons significantly more than that of daughters in the ancestral environment is the tendency toward violence and aggression. I therefore predict that violent parents have a higher-than-expected offspring sex ratio (more sons).'
Oh my god! As a 3rd generation Mexican-American I have boasted of my Aztec, Apache and Conquistador heritage. But, I never realized my ancestors propensity for violence would come back to bite me in the butt! (You know its does explain why the scent of blood in the water excites me.)
Well, I guess I should be able to sleep easier now knowing the truth about why my life turned out the way it did. When I told the Mrs. about Dr. Kanazawa's findings, she wasn't amused. She gave me such a look. I wish the good doctor had been around to receive it instead of me.
For years I have wondered why my wife and I had 4 sons and no daughters. After the first boy, we thought for sure we would have a girl. We were so sure that we would often have a girl's name already picked out only to end up having to provide the nurse with a boy's name after the birth of another boy. While our boys have grown into fine respectable men, a daughter along the way would have been nice.
Well, Dr. Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionay psychologist at the London School of Economics had finally answered my question. In a paper published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, 4/21/06, and in an interview with the Birmingham Post, Birmingham, England, 8/1/06, the good doctor claims its because we're ugly! He says, 'Physical attractiveness is good for men and women, but it is much better for women than for men. So, physically attractive parents bias their offspring sex ratio to have more daughters.' Dr. Kanazawa claims that the discovery supports the evolutionary theory that parents tend to produce children who benefit from their own attributes. Selection pressure means that when parents have traits they can pass on that are better for boys than for girls, they are likely to have boys. On the other hand parents with heritable traits that are more advantageous to girls are more likely to have daughters. Dr. Kanazawa told the Sunday Times of London, 'Beautiful parents have more daughters than ugly parents because physical attractiveness is heritable and because daughters benefit from attractiveness more than sons.'
I mean come on! Look at the photos of Mrs. Rea and me. I know I maybe s0-s0 (I wear the shades to compensate) but my wife is gorgeous! And, our boys have all turned out to be good-looking studs.
But, it gets worse. In his article in the Journal of Theoretical Biology entitled, 'Violent Men Have More Sons', Dr. Kanazawa claims, 'One heritable trait which increases the reproductive success of sons significantly more than that of daughters in the ancestral environment is the tendency toward violence and aggression. I therefore predict that violent parents have a higher-than-expected offspring sex ratio (more sons).'
Oh my god! As a 3rd generation Mexican-American I have boasted of my Aztec, Apache and Conquistador heritage. But, I never realized my ancestors propensity for violence would come back to bite me in the butt! (You know its does explain why the scent of blood in the water excites me.)
Well, I guess I should be able to sleep easier now knowing the truth about why my life turned out the way it did. When I told the Mrs. about Dr. Kanazawa's findings, she wasn't amused. She gave me such a look. I wish the good doctor had been around to receive it instead of me.
posted by mens rea at 8:09 AM
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